Dr. Anwar Ibrahim is currently Distinguished Visiting Professor, Center for Muslim Christian Understanding, Georgetown University, and Visiting Fellow, St. Anthony’s College, Oxford University. Previously he was Distinguished Visiting Fellow at SAIS. He began his notable political career in 1982 when he was elected to Malaysia’s parliament, and subsequently held the positions of Minister of Youth, Minister of Education, Minister of Finance, and Deputy Prime Minister. He also founded the Malaysian Youth Movement of Malaysia in 1971 and was its president for 10 years. In 1998 Newsweek International named him Asian of the Year, one of many awards he has received. He was imprisoned in 1998 and regained his freedom in September 2004 after acquittal by the Malaysian Federal Court. Dr. Anwar was educated at Malay College Kuala Kangsar and the University of Malaya. He has published two books: Menangani Perubahan (Managing Change, 2002) and The Asian Renaissance (1997). He also has written articles for numerous publications, including Time Magazine and the Asian Wall Street Journal.

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About the Discussants

Dr. Karl Jackson is the Director of the Asian Studies Program of the School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University. He is also C.V. Starr Distinguished Professor of Southeast Asian Studies and Director of the Southeast Asia Studies Program at SAIS. Previously he taught at the University of California, Berkeley for 19 years. Dr. Jackson served as the Assistant to the Vice President for National Security Affairs from 1991-1993. He has also been Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and Senior Director for Asian Affairs at the National Security Council. In addition, he served as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for East Asia from 1986-1989. Dr. Jackson received his Ph.D. from MIT. He has authored and edited numerous books and articles, including Traditional Authority, Islam and Rebellion: A Study of Indonesian Political Behavior (1980) and edited Asian Contagion: The Causes and Consequences of a Financial Crisis (1999).

Ambassador John Malott is Managing Director (Asia-Pacific) at ManattJones Global Strategies. Previously he served for 31 years in the U.S. Foreign Service, where he held such senior positions as Ambassador to Malaysia, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South Asian Affairs, and Consul General in Osaka, Japan. He also served as director of the U.S. State Department’s Office of Japanese Affairs and as American Consul in Bombay, India and Kobe, Japan. Ambassador Malott received a B.A. from Northwestern University and also attended the National War College. He has published many articles, including “Looking at China through a Foggy Crystal Ball,” Orange County Register (2001), and “Asia Needs Some Self-Honesty,” Far Eastern Economic Review (1999).
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